AAI in Hunt Valley lays off 24 workers

AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems, a Hunt Valley company known for its "Shadow" spy drones, has laid off 24 employees, officials confirmed on Thursday.

The layoffs, which occurred Wednesday, affect about 2 percent of the more than 1,400 employees based in Baltimore County, said Tom Williams, an AAI spokesman.

"The reduction is a direct result in a change in the mix of our contracted work, and it was driven by specific customer program requirements," Williams said. "We didn't have the work necessary, given the program requirements."

Williams said the positions affected are "primarily manufacturing positions." He would not say which customers of the defense contractor had changed work requirements with AAI.

Those who lost their jobs will receive severance and "outplacement services to aid in their transition," Williams said, including assistance in finding open positions elsewhere, networking strategies and resume services.

AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems is one of three AAI units in Baltimore County, the other two being AAI Logistics & Technical Services and AAI Test & Training. All are operating units of Textron Systems, which is based in Rhode Island.

In 2012, AAI reduced its Baltimore County workforce by 184 workers, down from more than 1,600 beforehand, citing company efforts to become more "cost competitive."